www.westernleader.co.nz
31
WESTERN LEADER, JANUARY 24, 2012
SPORT
Flawless display gives Billy title
Wave rider: Young surfer Elliott Paerata-Reid rides the waves at Piha last week.
Photo: CRAIG LEVERS/PHOTOCPL
Piha performace: Billy Stairmand on his way to winning the men's open division title at Piha.
Photo: ELLA BROCKELSBY/PHOTOSPORT
New champion: Thandi
Durham-Tipene addresses
the crowd at Piha.
Photo: ELLA BROCKELSBY/
PHOTOSPORT
Congratulations: Thandi
Durham-Tipene gets a peck on
the cheek as she comes out
of the Piha surf.
Photo: ELLA BROCKELSBY/
PHOTOSPORT
Hugs galore, below: Billy Stairmand is
congratulated after winning the final
round of the men's open division.
Photo: ELLA BROCKELSBY/PHOTOSPORT
Top effort, left: West Aucklander Mischa
Davis finished second in the women's
open division.
Photo: CRAIG LEVERS/PHOTOCPL
The man who defeated
11-time world champion
Kelly Slater at a surfing
event in Australia last
year is now a two-time
New Zealand national
champion.
Raglan's Billy Stair-
mand won the men's
open division title after a
flawless display in the
final at Piha on
Saturday.
The 22-year-old scored
17.10 points with his
impeccable backhand
surfing on the lefthand
waves of the Piha bar.
He won his first
national title in 2010.
It is good to start the
year winning a national
title. I am going overseas
soon so it is good for my
confidence and every-
thing like that but at the
moment, a national title,
I can't believe it,'' he
says. Gisborne's Chris
Malone finished second
with 9.5 points.
Taranaki
surfer
Thandi Durham-Tipene
won her first women's
open division title with a
9.43 total, but it was
close.
Piha's Mischa Davis
was in front for most of
the final and finished
with 8.6 but Durham-
Tipene scored a 5.40 on
her last wave to pip
Mischa at the buzzer.
Other Piha surfers had
success on the final day
with Tane Wallis win-
ning the under-18 men's
division ahead of Elliott
Paerata-Reid who also
finished second in the
under-16 boy's division.
Anna Jolly won the
women's longboard final,
Garry Pike took out the
over 50s legends event
and Maiya Thompson
claimed the women's
bodyboard title.